Saké
by Spaghetti Soysauce
Summary: [Rewrite, Vayne/Anna request] To lift your spirits up, a good bottle of wine would do well. However, it can do even much more than just that if the wrong person drinks it… Even if it was just a small amount.
1. Of Boring Afternoons to Deadly Drinks

**Summary: **To lift your spirits up, a good bottle of wine or sake would do well. However, it can do even much more than just that if the wrong person drinks it… Vayne/Anna-centric.

**A/N: **After a long hiatus, I've decided to return and post this up! Saké has been a long time project of mine. I removed the first one since I had too much mistakes with that one and the plot was going pretty much haywire, so I hope that this rewrite will go smoothly.

Thanks to all who read, reviewed, and showed an interest to this fic! I hope the rewrite will make you guys keep reading!

For new readers; _**Velvet, Escalder, Alhitus, Lucresia, Azterion**_, and _**Alicia**_ are Jess/Philo's, Nikki's, Flay's, Pamela's, Roxis's, and Anna's manas respectively. Those manas also can turn into their human forms, which was inspired by MK2. Also, how they can drink or eat will be explained in further chapters.

**For: superecho**, who loves Vayne/Anna so much. I hope you continue reading! :D

**Warning: **possible confusion, I think?

**Disclaimer: **No, Mana-Khemia is not my property. Just a fan with an imagination working overtime.

* * *

Today was boring.

The tiny fairy yawned as the sunlight shone upon her from the school's rooftop. It was a nice day in Al-Revis, the sun shining down brightly but there were occasional cool breezes, balancing the temperature enough for the fairy to make her nap peacefully. The soft, white fur she was lying on was comfortable, making a perfect pillow of sorts, which motivated her even more to doze off. Why not? There was nothing much to do, anyway. Giving up on her quest to count all the endless fur of her friend, she settled for a nap.

Lucresia Evesthrone closed her eyes, and enjoyed the fresh warm air she inhaled as she began to doze.

O0O

The white wolf opened one eye. The fairy that was lying on his fur seemed to settle down and stopped counting his furs. He stared up at the blue sky for a while, and resumed napping. This day was dreadfully boring. The wolf closed his eye once more, and started to plot out schemes for his poor blonde master to save him from boredom, which would last about two more hours, since their class was still going on. A smile of amusement played on his lips as he thought of endless possibilities for his schemes.

Azterion Redalierford was not sadistic nor was he a masochist. He was just bored.

O0O

Looking over to a sunny corner, the Wind Mana looked at the wolf. He was sleeping peacefully, so was the tiny fairy buried in the endless furs. The Light and Life Mana looked so bored and eventually settled for sleep. As much as it was tempting to nap with them as well, she had other intentions in mind. She grinned as she took out random tubes and vials containing all sorts of liquids, a small jar, a couple of cups, and three spoons from her bag. At least her experiment will keep her busy as she waits for Philo and co. to finish their classes.

Before proceeding to work, she removed the caps on the bottles and started sniffing them, checking if they were fresh enough. Happy that they all smelled exactly as she wanted them to, she rubbed her hands and set to work eagerly.

Velvet Wrienrest seemed unnaturally happy, and started working on her random experiment.

O0O

The Mana of Illusion looked over to a corner. Velvet, the Wind Mana, was taking off couple of stuff from a large bag. Tubes, bottles, and vials that presumably contained all sorts of liquids, or if not, were empty. A small jar, a bunch of cups of different shapes and sizes, and three spoons, similar to the other. She blinked. What was Velvet up to? She decided to wait instead; and made small random illusions, consisting of cute chibis of her master's workshop.

She smiled, remembering that she and her master had completed the last technique for the finishing burst: the Centiflora X. Anna was genuinely happy that her Mana was strong enough to turn her into a sixteen year old, which was a perfect touch for her final move.

Happy with herself, Alicia Terranfia raised a finger and waved it around, making the Gunnar-chibi dance.

O0O

Intently staring at the forest, the Mana of Trees started sketching as he sat on the stone floor. The trees on the borders of Al-Revis were growing magnificently, the leaves a perfect shade of green; the branches and the trunks looking strong, healthy, and had a magnificent shade of brown. Never before had he seen a great-looking forest. Maybe it was the effect of the weather in Al-Revis? Or maybe even the Water Manas that linger around there time to time? Either way, he was still pleased that people still care about their environment. He smiled. He was going to love this sketch.

The pencil scratched over the paper quickly. He was sure to get every detail. It was not every day that he could see such a healthy forest. Hopefully Al-Revis would keep their forests this way.

If they just did that, Escalder Hieldrieve would be the happiest Mana on earth.

.

.

.

"It's done!" A squeal of triumph erupted from the end of the rooftop, making the rest of the Manas look to their side, shocked by the voice that ruined the peace they enjoyed.

"What? Where? Huh?" Lucresia opened her eyes and rubbed them. "What's happening?"

"I just finished it!" Velvet's chirpy voice rang into the Life Mana's ears.

"Finished what?" She replied groggily.

"A new drink!" Velvet looked ecstatic. Lucresia stared at her dumbly.

"Congratulations." She mumbles sarcastically. Before burying herself into the fluffy mane of her friend, she decides to ask something. "What time is it?"

"One more hour before we can get out of here." Velvet replied, ignoring the sarcastic reply. "It's enough time for you to taste my drink!" The Life Mana abruptly face-planted herself on the fur and attempted to sleep, clearly disinterested in the Wind Mana's creation. Velvet frowned.

"What is that, anyway? It faintly smells of tea, vanilla… And grapes." The smell coming from the drink was faintly wafting into the rooftop, catching the attention of Azterion, who looked at Velvet's experiment as a saving grace from boredom.

"It also smells of… Raspberry, I think." Alicia sniffed the smell stronger from her side since she was closer to the makeshift workspace of Velvet. "What sort of drink is it, Velvet-nee?"

"Actually, I have no idea," Velvet admitted sheepishly. "But it's tasty! I tried it! Want some?"

"As long as you guarantee that it won't taste horrible, I'll taste it." The wolf said with amusement.

"I would like some too… If you don't mind, nee-san." Alicia inquired politely. She had been curious since she had been watching the Mana work on her drink, and the output seemed pleasing.

"Would you like some too, Escalder?" She smiled at the small brownie, working on his sketch busily, seemingly unaware that she was calling. "Escalder?" This time, he looked at her with a shocked expression. Velvet laughed. "Want some?" She pointed at the cup in her hands. He shook his head and smiled apologetically.

As Azterion trotted over carefully as not to tip Lucresia off him, he stared at the remaining ingredients. "You used quite a lot. What's in that drink?"

"Oh, I'm not telling," Velvet replied as she poured the drink into two small cups. "I'll tell you if you're done drinking." She passed the cup to Alicia, who took the cup gingerly. The other she placed in front of Azterion, who tipped the cup slightly and drank.

"Well?" Velvet asked, jittery. Azterion seemed to be smiling.

"It is good," Azterion muttered. "The blending of the grapes and raspberry are excellent, and the vanilla gives it a nice, creamy texture."

"Yes!" Velvet shouted cheerfully. "I've been aiming to make this drink for a long time! Success!"

"However..." Azterion licked his lips. "There's a rather... sour aftertaste. Is it the grapes?"

Velvet grinned. "Nope. I added another ingredient." Stuffing her hands into her bag, she rummaged it and presented to Azterion a medium-sized ceramic jar. "Saké! I asked Philo to pop me one out yesterday!"

Azterion nodded. "No wonder..." he shifted to look at Alicia, who hadn't said a word."Alicia, are you..."

Velvet raised a finger to her chin and tilted her head. "You know what; I think I forgot something really..."

Azterion blinked.

"... important."

Velvet's face fell, and she paled.

"Saké... Alicia's tolerance... Oh god."

The Mana of Illusion didn't make a move, however, she was laughing quite sinisterly. Velvet swallowed. Azterion shifted away a bit from her.

"What's happenin'?" Lucresia woke, sensing an uneasy feeling. Escalder seemed to sense it too, as he stopped sketching and turned to look at them.

"Focus all your power... and poof!" Alicia started singing eerily. "She's sixteen, she's sixteen; no longer an underestimated twelve-year old teen..."

"She's lost it," Velvet concluded.

"... Alicia?" Azterion called out softly. "Can you hear me?"

Raising her head up in a sudden motion, Velvet and Azterion moved back. The Mana looked flushed, with a lopsided grin on her face. With much effort, she tried standing, and when she did, she swayed from side to side.

"What was in that drink?" Lucresia hissed at Velvet, fully awake. "Alicia's looks completely drunk!"

"How much did you put in there?" Azterion added, backing away slowly.

Velvet stammered. "I-I-dunno, at least a cup and a half?"

"A cup and a half?!" Lucresia repeated incredulously.

"Isn't that too little for you to taste since you mixed it with other ingredients?" Azterion said, eyeing the wobbling girl carefully.

"It was really old saké!" Velvet replied defensively. "So naturally it would have a really, really, strong taste!"

"Oh god," Lucresia swallowed. "Do you remember the last time she drank saké? Complete torture!"

Azterion grimaced. "She got a migrane, we got two whole weeks of inability to use our powers."

"Complete torture," Lucresia repeated.

"That was about centuries ago..." Azterion muttered. "Who knows what she can do now?"

Velvet made a choking sound. Escalder, from the far back, whimpered.

"... Hey..."

The manas slightly flinched. Alicia raised her head, smiling from ear to ear. "I never showed any of you what I can do now, didn't I~?" Alicia slurred.

Before anyone of them could move or make a protest, she raised her hand.

.

.

.

As the Al-Revis school bell rang, the rooftop was engulfed in a bright light.

The bell stopped.

And the light disappeared with the noise too.

* * *

What do you think? Read and review, please!


	2. The Curious Incident at Lunchtime

**A/N: **As we've got long weekend, productivity has been flowing fast! So here's chapter two!

Thanks to **superecho **(long time no see and of course! Expect more Vayne/Anna :D)**, Xinkenn Clenrew **(thank you very much for your criticsm, I appreciate it)**, and Kira Ria 18 **(thank you for waiting!) for the reviews!

**Disclaimer**: No, Mana-Khemia is not my property. Just a fan with an imagination working overtime.

* * *

Sulpher's ears tilted up. Immediately, the black cat stopped in his tracks and looked sideways, to his left.

"What's wrong, Sulpher?"

"No... It's nothing."

Vayne looked at the cat for a while, who had suddenly stopped while walking. Their morning classes had already finished, and since Philo went over to call Nike for lunch, he went ahead to the workshop. The abrupt stop of the cat was immediately forgotten, as said cat began to trot ahead again.

"You sure you're fine?" Vayne inquired again, catching up to Sulpher.

"You worry too much. I said it was nothing," came the reply of the cat.

"Vayne-sempai?" A girlish voice called out behind them.

Turning around, Vayne saw his kouhai, Anna, walking over to them, and he stopped. "Ah, Anna. Are you heading to the workshop, too?"

The turquoise-haired girl nodded. "Yes. I planned to have my lunch and to get a couple of items I need for my next class. Isn't Philo-sempai and Nike-sempai with you?"

"Oh... Philo went to call Nike for lunch, so I went ahead. Philo also did say that she'll try pulling along Gunnar-sempai with them."

Anna wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Well. I surely hope not. Sempai tends to make a lot of mess just like Nike-sempai, and I just cleaned the workshop this morning!"

Vayne chuckled. "Well, it is Gunnar-sempai after all. Are you headed directly for the workshop, or are you heading to the cafeteria to get your lunch first?"

"I intended to head for the workshop already, since I already bought my lunch earlier..." Anna replied, and tilted her head in a questioning manner. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, since we're both heading for the workshop, why don't we both walk together?" Vayne offered.

A small smile tugged on Anna's lips. "Well, I don't mind," she replied, and they began walking.

"I'm surprised that you're already taking the shorter route, sempai."

"Well... We did notice that it _did _take a shorter while than our usual route to the workshop... So, I guess we've got to thank you for it."

"No... It's quite alright. I easily get lost myself, so I tried to see if there are easier routes for me to remember."

"Hmm... I guess you have a point," Vayne smiled. "You're always so diligent, Anna."

Anna flushed slightly. "T-thank you very much, but you speak as if you aren't diligent yourself, sempai!"

Vayne pondered on her words. "You think so? I think I'm not that diligent..."

"Of course not!" Anna raised her voice and looked at him suddenly, startling the white-haired boy. "You're a very respectable and hardworking person, sempai! I, myself, look up to you!"

Vayne blinked for a bit, registering her words. _She really looks up to me? _His kouhai was still staring at him intently, and that's when he knew. _I guess she really does. _He smiled. "Thank you, Anna."

They resumed walking again, and she sighed. "Sempai, I worry that you think so lowly of yourself."

A worried look plastered on his face. "I-I don't think lowly of myself... It's just that I'm not really conscious of what I do, I think."

She stayed quiet for a while, thinking. "I guess so."

Anna turned to look at the cat, whose tail was swaying as it walked its way up the stairs. She hadn't noticed that they walked their way past the Athanor room, and were already nearing the workshop.

"Ne, sempai, Sulpher-san has been your companion for a long time, right?"

"Yeah. Sulpher taught me a lot about everything."

"I don't mean to intrude, but..." Anna frowned. "Wasn't it lonely?"

"... It was." Vayne reminisced, a sad expression forming on his face. "Whenever I tried going into town, people would shout at me and told me to go away. I only had Sulpher as a friend. But now..." Vayne stopped walking, and Anna turned to look at him, not hearing his footsteps. She had already reached the top step of the stairs, and he had still remained there at the bottom.

"I have you, Philo, Nike, Gunnar-sempai, Pamela, everyone, even Roxis, as friends." Vayne smiled. "I'm glad that I got invited here."

For some unknown reason, Anna blushed. She spun on her heel immediately, and Vayne blinked.

"Anna?" Vayne called as he caught up to her. "What's wrong?"

"I-it's nothing!" Anna rushed towards the workshop door, hiding her still-red face. _Why on earth am I blushing...?!_

Vayne shrugged, confused. _Was it something I said?_

.

.

.

"I dunno about you guys, but I feel like I've been glued to a feather pillow."

"Lucresia... You're lying on my fur."

"Oh. Your fur's fluffy, by the way."

"I know."

"What happened?" Velvet rose from the cold floor and rubbed her head, which pretty much felt like it was ringing. "Oh, my head...!"

The manas regained consciousness, and they pretty much felt terrible. They were still on the rooftop, however...

"My body feels incredibly heavy..." Lucresia huffed as she tried rising from Azterion's fur.

"I don't know if my vision's just hazy, but..." Azterion pointed out. "Are those students lying on the floor?"

"Huh?" Velvet turned to her left. Beside her was a male student, his face flat on the floor. "I think so, there's a guy who's just..." She registered that thought, and her eyes widened.

"_Kyaaah!_" She immediately scooted away. "Is he...?"

"No..." Escalder's voice came soft voice came from afar. "They've been... targeted."

"Targeted... By Alicia?" Lucresia mumbled as she was finally able to rise from her friend's fur. She floated towards one of the students.

Velvet suddenly remembered. "Alicia! We've got to find her!"

Escalder nodded, looking worried. "There are students... So it's already lunch time."

Lucresia looked grim as she floated away from the student. "They're fine, but... I think they got a dose of Alicia's illusions."

"No... My Puni doll... Noooo! _Don't take it awaaay!_" A male student suddenly bursted out, startling them.

"I guess they really did," Azterion looked around. "She's already hit five unlucky people who decided to go here."

"_Ahhh!_" Another male student shouted. "I don't want that injection, Miss Melanie! No! Go away!"

In another corner, another student started wailing. "My hard-earned pictures... Of Miss Isolde... In flames...! _Whyyy!_"

All of them sweat dropped, realizing that the student was a _girl_, who was now hugging herself.

"Thank heavens we didn't get a dose of illusions too," Velvet sighed.

"Can we still use our powers?" Lucresia wondered.

Escalder nodded. He produced a little sapling from his palm. "Alicia only knocked us unconscious, I think..."

"Well, that's good at least," Azterion made quickly his way through the bodies. "We'd better find Alicia before she causes anymore havoc."

Velvet started to look worried. "Oh... I hope she doesn't go after Anna-chan or the others..."

"Hopefully not," Lucresia frowned. "We'd better get going."

"No... boys... on earth... only girls..." a male student started screaming. "No...! Get away! Don't go near!"

The manas laughed to themselves as they made their way, and descended down the steps.

.

.

.

Anna couldn't believe her eyes as she opened the door to the workshop. Her face immediately fell.

Vayne couldn't either. His eyes were wide open and were fixed on the floor.

The unmoving figure of Alicia Terranfia was there, in the very middle. Sulpher looked at her sharply.

"Alicia!" Anna shouted immediately, running towards her mana, who was unusually in her human form. "W-what happened!?"

"Oh...?" Alicia raised her head sloppily. With her hazy vision, she could make out the figures of her master, Anna. "Anna-sama~!"

With that she threw herself cheerfully on her master. "I showed everyone~~~! I did my very, very, very, best~!"

"Is there something wrong with Alicia-san, Sulpher...?" Vayne finally recovered from his shock.

"I don't know... But she's not acting like herself." Sulpher watched her intently. _Maybe that's the power I sensed earlier..._

"Ahahaha, Vayne-san's, here, too!" Alicia smiled lopsidedly as she noticed Vayne. "Why don't I show you, too?"

"Alicia, are you alright...?" Anna looked worriedly at her mana. _Alicia's not acting like herself... What happened to her...? And what happened here...?_

"Here I goooo~!" As Alicia raised her hand, Sulpher's eyes widened. A bright light started engulfing the room.

"What is this? _Kyaaah_!" Anna covered her eyes.

"Vayne, watch..." But before he could even warn his master, Vayne immediately rushed towards Anna.

"_Anna, look out_!"

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.

.

"We're too late!" Lucresia shouted as she saw a bright light emerging from the workshop. After a while, it completely disappeared, as if nothing happened.

"Philo!" Velvet immediately rushed down the stairs and headed towards the open door, the other manas just behind her.

Instead of rushing to their masters, they stood there witless, staring at the floor.

Alicia was there in the center, unconscious, back in her mana form.

The others were there too, however...

Escalder looked pale.

Azterion looked half amused and un-amused at the same time.

Velvet was speechless, absolutely at a loss for words.

Lucresia had a dreadful look upon on her face.

"Velvet Wrienrest... I therefore conclude," Lucresia said tonelessly. "You are, indeed, Philomel Hartung's mana. A real genius at creating chaos."

Velvet would usually protest that she wasn't a chaotic genius. But seeing the situation, she conceded.

"At least we got a saving grace," Azterion pointed over to a corner, breaking the silence.

"... That's nice," Velvet said, gaining her voice again. "... I think."

"But we're still..." Escalder stopped, looking for a better word.

"We're still screwed though." Lucresia's eye twitched.

They all nodded, sharing the sentiment.

This was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

**Change in this chapter**: I pretty much changed everything in this chapter. The conversation between Vayne and Anna was particularly the greatest change here as I just added it (it was not in the original). It fits nicely, I think.

I'm pretty much satisfied on how this is turning out. Chapter three coming soon!

Please read and review! Thank you very much!


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